Safe Place for Newborns

See Sample Hospital Procedures. 

Developing Procedures:

Incorporating the Safe Place for Newborns program generally requires only minor adaptations in a hospital’s current procedures. Hospitals have found it helpful to have a two-pronged approach when adopting the Safe Place for Newborns program:

1. Administrative: Hospital administrators will need to adjust applicable hospital procedures and protocols. For some hospitals, this has included seeking approval from the Hospital’s Board of Directors.
2. Training: Developing and implementing training for hospital personnel. Most hospitals train all hospital personnel. A young woman in crisis may be more likely to leave her baby with a secretary as she is a nurse or doctor.
3. See Safe Place for Newborn hospital procedures from urban and rural hospitals. 

The Minnesota Safe Place for Newborns program works as follows:

• A mother, or person acting with the mother's permission, may leave her unharmed newborn, up to 3 days old, to with a hospital employee at any hospital in Minnesota.

• The mother, or person leaving the baby, is permitted to remain anonymous. 

• Although the hospital is not required to do anything further for the mother, most hospital’s Safe Place for Newborns procedures include offering the mother:

1. A Medical History Questionnaire with a mail in response envelope.

2. A medical ID bracelet with a number to correspond with the ID bracelet given to the baby. 

3. Telephone numbers for its county Social Services department, and/or any other referrals the hospital deems appropriate.

• When a hospital receives a baby relinquished to the Safe Place for Newborns program, the hospital will provide any needed medical care, then contact its County Social Services department.

• County Social Services will assume custody of the child and place the child in foster care. 

• If a baby is left at a hospital within the parameters of the Safe Place for Newborns program, rather than abandoned at a dangerous place, the mother will not be prosecuted for abandonment or neglect. 

The person relinquishing the child: 

• Has the right to remain anonymous.

• May be given information that the hospital deems appropriate.

• Must not be followed or detained; no police will be called.

Community Education:

Once a hospital's procedures are in place, most hospitals wish to do something in the area of community education.  How about a Safe Place for Newborns Community Education Day?   Contact Safe Place for Newborns to learn how this idea has worked in hospitals around the country.

Map will direct you to Safe Haven laws in other states.